The Carroll News » Katie Sheridanhttp://www.jcunews.com
John Carroll University's student newspaper since 1925Sun, 01 Mar 2015 21:46:13 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.5Why do you do that to yourself?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/12/09/why-do-you-do-that-to-yourself/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/12/09/why-do-you-do-that-to-yourself/#commentsThu, 09 Dec 2010 15:00:42 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5527Every week on my way to the newsroom I pass the workout room. I stare at the people on the elliptical machines and shutter at the sweat dripping down their faces. All I can think is: Why on earth would you do that to yourself every week?

I’ve taken health classes so I kind of understand why people go to the gym. However, I have only been to the Corbo Room – it is called a room, isn’t it? – a handful of times. I like to consider my brisk walks to class exercise and I think sweating is gross, so I like to prevent it whenever possible. I’ve also decided that on the rare occasions that I think exercising is a good idea it should be done only early in the morning, so no one will see me.

Today I walked to the newsroom for what will be my last night as Editor in Chief.

Today was also the first time that it occurred to me that those people on the elliptical machines probably looked into the newsroom (or attempted to) on their way to the gym. They most likely saw us staring at the computers and thought: Why on earth do they do that to themselves every week?

They kind of have a valid question. From an outsider’s perspective we’re always in here, we each write the equivalent of a two-page paper each week, and we still have to go to class.

From an insider’s perspective we can see where they’re coming from too. We’ve been pulling all-nighters, we’ve given up attempting to be healthy, we’ve put in countless hours conducting interviews, we subject ourselves to the criticism of the student body and faculty, and we do it all for free.

What they don’t see, or rather smell, is the disgusting stench from the day old food that lingers in the newsroom. They can’t understand the funny and sometimes offensive photoshopped images of each other that plaster our walls. They don’t hear the insults we throw at one another, with mostly good intentions. They shouldn’t hear about the trips we take to journalism conferences, where we attend all of the informational sessions.

They can’t see the satisfaction we get from seeing our hard work in print. They don’t see the relationships we’ve formed. They don’t accompany us to interviews where we can proudly talk about our experience working on an award-wining campus newspaper.

So I guess we do it for the same reason those people are on the elliptical. We want to look and feel good, even if we’re the only ones who know it.

University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld is nearing the end of her first year in office.

“It [the first year] has been busy,” said Infeld. “I don’t know that it has been as productive as I would have liked it to be, but I’m still working on that. I think I envisioned coming in and doing a lot all at once, and it takes time to get things accomplished.”

One goal that she has worked on during her first year was improving relations between John Carroll University and the City.

Infeld said, “My experience with John Carroll has been great.”

Dora Pruce, director of government and community relations, said the City-University relationship has improved.

“I think there is a much more open line of communication, especially directly between the mayor’s office and me and the [JCU] president’s office,” said Pruce.

University Heights and JCU have worked together on several issues since Infeld took office last January.

Infeld donated bicycles the City had to the University, which allowed JCU to start the Coburn Bicycle Co-op.

“That [bike program] was a fun, community-building effort, so I was happy to participate in that with the University,” said Infeld.

Additionally, JCU was granted permission by city council last year to hold its annual Relay for Life outside all night for the first time, although it was forced inside by weather.

Also, in the past, JCU had to present to City Council before large, annual day-time events such as the AC Milan Continental Cup and the Cuyahoga County East-West All-Star Scholarship Football Game. Infeld suggested that the University should not have to seek approval for these events each year and Council agreed.

Pruce said, “A lot of this has been accomplished through the mayor’s leadership.”

Aside from University programs, Infeld has sought to involve JCU in community affairs.

The City is working to create a community garden off of Taylor Road, north of Cedar Road, and has been working with Margaret Finucane, JCU’s director of the Center for Service and Social Action, to accomplish this.

The City is also involving JCU in its current financial issues. The City recently discovered that it owed more than $2 million in tax increment financing (TIF) bonds. Infeld has set up a payment plan to make missed payments the City should have paid from 2003 until 2005.

“They’re [these financial issues] surprising and then you just deal with them,” said Infeld.

Infeld expects the City to have less operational money and is planning to survey residents about which city services are most important. She has enlisted the help of JCU mathematics professor Tom Short to help with the survey results.

“We uncovered a lot of financial issues that were unknown to me. I want the community to weigh in [on] what is important to them, in terms of city services, because if we have to make cuts I don’t want to do that without some input.”

The survey will layout all of the City’s services and residents will be asked to rank them in order of importance.

“I don’t plan on passing this through to the citizens in terms of increased taxes. If anything is felt by the residents, it may be a change in the level of services offered would be the only effect; I hope that won’t happen. I think if we’re smart about how we allocate the dollars we have, that we can deliver the service in the same way the people have become used to getting them,” said Infeld.

While Infeld hopes that the city services provided to residents will not be dramatically altered, the City will have to hold off on new services and large purchases, such as large equipment and available land.

Overall, Infeld said that she has received positive feedback about her first year and residents are happy with city services.

It is a nice tool that I’ve been using for literally as long as I can remember. Last night, a fellow editor used it to pull up the list of candidates for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year and I was a little surprised by some of the people being considered.

Unfortunately Gore never made the cut for Person of the Year. It could be because he also didn’t really invent the Internet.

Regardless, in 2006 the Internet was the main factor in determining the acclaimed “Person of The Year.” That was the year “You” received the title. “You” were starting to delve into the World Wide Web and used it to make connections and help change the world with everything from MySpace to YouTube.

This year “You” won’t be the recipient again, and chances are “You” (in the sense of Clevelanders) might be a little upset with the decision.

That is because one of the other finalists this year is our very own, I mean formerly our very own, LeBron James.

Time Magazine editors are responsible for selecting the Person of the Year. It goes to the “person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.”

You can’t argue that LeBron affected the news and our lives or that it was for good or ill. But did he embody what was important about the year?

In an article with The Associated Press, James said, “I am who I am and I think I’m in a position of my life where I’m going to get better every day. But it’s [nomination for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is] too much.”

That is very humble of you, but here is the problem LeBron, if you win it shouldn’t be because you’re getting better everyday. It should be because you impacted the news in a large way. You turned a choice, that I’m pretty certain you had determined weeks prior, into “The Decision.” That coupled with being a talented athlete is why you made the cut.

Let’s be honest, I don’t really care about sports and I’m not heart-broken that LeBron left the city. I just think he did it in an unprofessional manner.

I also have a certain appreciation for controversy, so I wouldn’t mind if someone won because they negatively contributed to our society, but is LeBron that man? No, let’s not give him more credit than he deserves.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/18/for-good-or-ill/feed/0Still wants to be a babysitterhttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/11/a-babysitter/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/11/a-babysitter/#commentsThu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:24 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5323Every weekend I do something wonderful. I come home late and I’m a little tired, but I have earned a fistful of cash that will get me through the week. Sometimes I work twice in one weekend.

I am a babysitter.

It is a great job. From my estimations, babysitters in University Heights make between $8 to $14 an hour. That is more than minimum wage and if you’re fortunate enough to babysit at night, the kids will be asleep by 9 p.m., so you’re getting paid to watch TV or do homework.

I am an excellent tent builder, hair stylist, and treasure hunt maker. I’ve also hosted dance parties and battled in Nerf gun wars. Those are skills that just aren’t appreciated on your resume, unless you write it in brightly colored marker and give it to the kids you’re babysitting.

The problem is that I graduate in May, so my resume includes things like The Carroll News and internships. My ability to dominate at Simon Says won’t be appreciated and it will no longer be socially acceptable for me to babysit. Society seems to think there is something weird about a person working full-time and babysitting.

Please notice that I said work full-time and babysit. It seems to be OK if you are attending graduate school or only working part-time. It is as if the families assume that you aren’t pursuing your real career yet, so it is OK for you to watch their kids and make some extra money.

After you graduate if you have to babysit you are probably working for free and watching kids somehow related to you. An alternative option is to redefine the responsibility under the title as nanny or better yet, au pair.

There is however, a difference between babysitting and being a nanny. I think of a nanny as full-time position that involves cooking, cleaning and occasionally laundry. It isn’t usually something you can do just on Saturday night. Sadly dictionary.com defines “nanny” as “a person, usually with special training, employed to care for children in a household.” So education majors, you’re probably in the clear, but unless my time teaching a Sunday school class to preschoolers counts, I lack the special training.

An au pair is even more extreme. Remember the 1999 made-for-TV movie “Au Pair”? She had to live with the family full-time and they spent most of their time in another country. That is actually kind of appealing, but again, not the weekend gig I have going now.

So, I was wondering if we could start reconsidering this societal decision that rules out babysitting after graduation. If I’m still in the area I’d like to continue to babysit for my favorite families. It is fun to have a kickball tournament or to play TV tag and call out shows they’ve never heard of.

Last week, the kids were perplexed by “Doug” and “Hey Arnold!”

I will most likely never be a nanny or an au pair, but if possible, I hope to continue to be a babysitter.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/11/a-babysitter/feed/0A “liberal gene”http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/04/a-%e2%80%9cliberal-gene%e2%80%9d/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/04/a-%e2%80%9cliberal-gene%e2%80%9d/#commentsThu, 04 Nov 2010 14:00:05 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5260In high school, were you the Homecoming King or the band geek? Did you spend your lunch period at the cool table in the cafeteria or in the library by yourself? Do you consider yourself liberal?

New research suggests that if you had a lot of friends in high school and consider yourself liberal there could be something greater than your love of President Barack Obama that is contributing to your liberal political ideology.

That’s right. Research has found a “liberal gene.” Sadly, this is not a joke.

A recent study concluded that a gene called DRD4 in connection with your high school popularity could be the reason you consider yourself liberal. They are calling DRD4 the “liberal gene.”

According to Discovery News, “Scientists at the University of California San Diego and Harvard University determined that people who carry a variant of the DRD4 gene are more likely to be liberals as adults, depending on the number of friendships they had during high school.”

Scientists identify the gene as liberal because it is thought to make people more apt to being open. According to research, openness is linked with political liberalism.

They theorize that the friendships are important because the more people you are in contact with the more viewpoints you are exposed to.

However, it seems there are a few flaws in their reasoning.

My biggest problem with this is not that a segment of DNA is being called the “liberal gene.” It bothers me because of why it is being labeled that way.

I understand that the gene supposedly makes people more open, but why can’t you be open and conservative? Wouldn’t it be even more likely that you would be open and independent? Why is it only liberal that can be synonymous with openness.

Likewise, what if I have the gene and was popular in high school, but all of my friends are conservative? I would still be open to listening to them, but they probably wouldn’t convince me to be liberal.

The survey included more than 2,500 individuals. According to Discovery News participants were asked during high school to name five female and male friends. That helped determine their social network. When those people reached their 20s they had them classify themselves as “very conservative,” “conservative,” “middle-of-the-road,” “liberal,” or “very liberal.”

The results led the scientists to believe there was some relationship between being liberal, friendship, and having the gene.

Therefore the scientists have discovered a correlation, not a causation. Popularity, the DRD4 gene, and being liberal may be connected, but one element does not cause another.

I’m not buying this. People associate with political parties because of two reasons: the influence of family and friends, or because of a conscious decision based on the issues. There may be a few other reasons, but I find it hard to believe that genetics is one of them.

Discovery News also wrote that this is the first study that associates a gene with politics.

According to Discovery News, “Neither the gene nor social networks alone influenced political identification.”

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/11/04/a-%e2%80%9cliberal-gene%e2%80%9d/feed/0Take on The CNhttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/take-on-the-cn/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/take-on-the-cn/#commentsThu, 28 Oct 2010 14:00:53 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5196I think it is time for The Carroll News to have a real competitor.

You can judge me, but I have been to a lot of journalism conferences during my time at JCU. More importantly I have met a lot of people from other schools who want to become journalists.

JCU is unique because we don’t offer a journalism degree. We are all lumped into the communication and theater arts major. We are not specific which is a blessing and a curse. It means that we can easily translate what we’ve learned into whatever career we want to pursue. It is a curse because even though we don’t have specific majors, you can define it by the classes and extracurriculars you choose. It may be the fault of the students -I’m definitely guilty- but if students become comfortable with one medium they probably don’t push themselves to try something else.

At other schools the TV stations are merging with the newspaper and must work together to report the news in both mediums. In other cases print and broadcast compete against each other.

As far as I know, The CN has never worked with the TV station, aside from a few of our editors who also have TV shows. On at least two occasions people working for a broadcast class have come to get our newspaper articles for their reports, but we never saw the end result.

I’m leaving JCU in May and potentially entering another career all together. The communications department, now known as the Tim Russert Department of Communications, has done a lot to prepare me for the real world, even if I don’t become a journalist. However, my time with The Carroll News is what has given me the practical, problem-solving knowledge that cannot be learned in a classroom.

There are a few people who do it all (radio, television and print), but there are also many communications students who don’t do anything, at least not within the department. From what I’ve seen, the TV station probably provides good experience, but the shows are mostly just for fun.

I think the school needs to seriously consider creating a news station. This is a prime opportunity to challenge The Carroll News. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that we’re award-winning. If the challenge is too much, we could also work together.

The communication department could also consider adding a class where students would work together to produce a show during a semester. I would like to see it be news related, but ultimately it could be up to the class. If the students wanted to continue the show they could, or the next semester new students would take over.

There are a lot of resources available to us and I think we were doing well for a long time so we’ve fallen into a comfortable spot. Journalism, public relations, and other aspects of communications are changing. We need to continue to revise what we offer outside of the classroom and a little friendly competition could help. Let’s start using the TV station for slightly more credible reporting (sorry guys) and challenge The Carroll News.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/take-on-the-cn/feed/0JCU student severely injured at partyhttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/jcu-student-severely-injured-at-party/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/jcu-student-severely-injured-at-party/#commentsThu, 28 Oct 2010 14:00:20 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5222When students enroll at John Carroll University they accept the University’s Community Standards Manual and the Student Code of Conduct.

On Sept. 6, 2010, junior John Calubaquib wasn’t thinking about the Code of Conduct. He was at a house party off campus with his friends and that night he was particularly intrigued by a drumset. Calubaquib, who has been playing drums since he was 12-years-old, asked the kid playing if he could have a turn.

“He [the kid playing] passed me the drumsticks and I hopped on for maybe a minute of playing and then the owner of the drums came down[stairs],” said Calubaquib.

The owner, also a JCU student, wasn’t happy that Calubaquib was playing his drums.

According to Calubaquib, “[the owner] said, ‘hey, kid.’ I looked right up at him and he threw a punch at me while I was wearing my glasses and then directly following the punch he went ‘don’t ever play my drumset.’”

The punch broke Calubaquib’s glasses and sent shards of broken glass into his eye. It didn’t knock him out and he said he was completely aware of what had just happened.

The boy who punched him told him he would drive him to the hospital, but Calubaquib wanted an ambulance.

“My buddy was there [and] he was like, ‘Dude, you need to call an ambulance.’ So [I was with] two of my friends, one called the ambulance while one just stuck with me throughout the whole thing,” said Calubaquib.

The University Heights police arrived at 1:35 a.m. An ambulance rushed Calubaquib to the hospital and they began running tests on him immediately.

“That Monday, I had a five hour surgery and then the day after that I had a three hour surgery because É I had a ruptured globe, which was a big thing. I had a one-inch laceration from É the bridge of my nose to my eyelid. Pieces of my cornea were missing, pieces of my iris were missing, and my vision was completely clouded,” said Calubaquib.

Sheri Crahen, dean of students, said she could not comment on student’s private records, but she did say that in general if an event happens off campus and is reported to the police, the University Heights police department would usually contact the University to report the incident.

“If a student has sustained an injury we’ll contact them to see how they’re doing and talk to them about their rights as a student,” said Crahen. “If they’re still John Carroll students, they’re still accountable to the Code of Conduct.”

The JCU student Code of Conduct states that, “Students enrolling in John Carroll University assume an obligation to behave in a manner compatible with the University’s function as an educational institution.”

The Code goes on to describe those actions in conflict with the Code, one of which is “Lack of Respect for Others.” Part A of section two defines that lack of respect as, “physically or verbally abusing, assaulting, threatening, endangering or harassing any person.”

Calubaquib missed a week of school and work because of the injury and will continue to receive treatment.

“Now that I’m improving they don’t have to see me as much, but they still have to check in to make sure everything is OK,” said Calubaquib. “My parents come back whenever I have an appointment. They drive from Chicago.”

Calubaquib was thankful to his parents and friends during this process. He also saw a positive result.

“The positive is that I’m still positive about the whole situation. If I didn’t have support that was given, I would be the most depressed kid ever,” said Calubaquib. “I’m a stronger person because of this.”

Calubaquib and his family will be pressing charges. According to an e-mail from Calubaquib, the lawsuit has been filed and the pre-trial began on Oct. 13. “This is the beginning of a very long process,” said Calubaquib.

No one would confirm what action has been taken with the other student involved in this incident and he was unavailable for comment.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/28/jcu-student-severely-injured-at-party/feed/0Detracting from the adshttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/14/detracting-from-the-ads/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/14/detracting-from-the-ads/#commentsThu, 14 Oct 2010 14:00:33 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5145If you’ve been watching TV lately you may have been a little confused during the commercial breaks. Instead of ads for baby back ribs and the newsest mom-approved minivan, the TV is flooded with political candidates unjustly taking stabs at one another to prove they deserve your vote.

The ads are so cruel that it could make you think that our country is full of corrupt politicians. I know what you’re thinking: How could politicians possibly be corrupt?

Sarcasm aside, politicians disgust me with these cheap attempts to prove they’re the best candidate. It isn’t the politicians that are the subject of the commercials that have me concerned. I’m worried about the people “approving [those] messages.”

All smear campaigns are pathetic, but Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida took it to a new low. He turned his Republican opponent Daniel Webster, into “Taliban Dan.”

The commercial, which opens with “I’m Congressman Alan Grayson and I approved this message,” goes on to accuse Webster of not loving his country, having no respect for women, and the desire to “impose his radical fundamentalism on us.”

It aired on Sept. 25, but I was introduced to the commercial during my media ethics class. This media was far from ethical.

The clips for Grayson’s ad came from the Institute of Basic Life Principles, a religious conference sponsored by the Advanced Training Institute, where Webster gave advice to fathers about supporting their children and wives.

The clips shown in the commercial were skewed to make it sound like Webster was saying “submit to me” and “wives submit yourself to your own husband.” According to factcheck.org, when put in context it is apparent that he was actually saying the opposite. At the talk he said that literal translations of the Bible should not be taken that way.

Unfortunately for Grayson, no one supports the accusations he made, but it is definitely getting some attention.

MSNBC called the commercial a “campaign attack ad” and invited Grayson on air to defend his unjust claims against Webster. Grayson didn’t back down.

Contessa Brewer, the MSNBC news anchor, asked Grayson about his decision to run this commercial and his choice to compare Webster to the Taliban.

He said, “Well, the Taliban try to impose their bizarre religious views on the rest of us and so does my opponent and the group the he belongs to.”

Grayson, you’re giving politicans a worse name.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/14/detracting-from-the-ads/feed/0Why can’t we be friends?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/why-can%e2%80%99t-we-be-friends/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/why-can%e2%80%99t-we-be-friends/#commentsThu, 07 Oct 2010 14:00:48 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5060As a journalist, is it possible for me to be your friend and stay true to my journalistic nature? The answer is, probably not.

When I was applying at Dairy Queen for what would later become my first job, the interviewers asked me what was more important, speed or quality. If the job was with a newspaper instead of an ice cream shop they might have asked me: Which is more important, to be a good friend, or to be a good journalist?

I respect journalists a lot because while most people love what journalists report, they often despise the person doing the reporting. If a journalist isn’t reporting fluff, they will probably be disliked by someone for what they write, regardless of whether it is unbiased.

My roommate is not affiliated with The Carroll News. In fact, she holds an executive position on the Student Union Board. Student Union and The Carroll News are sometimes seen as enemies and I’m sure over the years we’ve ruffled a few feathers. People in our respective organizations questioned us on our decision to live together.

Last semester, as we were signing our lease, she interviewed a public relations specialist for a class project. The woman she talked to said, “A journalist is never your friend.” I don’t think she told the woman that she would be living with a newspaper editor next year, but I would have liked to have heard her response. At this point in the year I think my roommate would happily tell that woman that either I’m not a real journalist, or that she was misinformed.

Another person I know is concerned that if I see him at a bar I might write a story about him. Well, Greg, this is as close as it is going to get.

You see, as journalists, we have a responsibility to report the truth, but we’re human too. We always want to know what is going on, but we don’t want to hurt people. If I reported everything I heard the newspaper would be a different sort of interesting, but I don’t really think the campus would be better off.

We discuss all of our story ideas at a weekly staff meeting, and when necessary, we contact professors and professionals for advice. Journalists are thoughtful, meaning we carefully think about what we print.

So, to answer the question posed by my fabricated newspaper interviewers, I would tell them the same thing I told the people at Dairy Queen. There needs to be a balance. That answer, and hopefully some other qualifications, got me the job. And that answer is something I truly believe. There is a balance to being a friend and a journalist and while I will always be a journalist at heart, it is also possible to be my friend.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/why-can%e2%80%99t-we-be-friends/feed/0CollegeACB blocked on campushttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/collegeacb-blocked-on-campus/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/collegeacb-blocked-on-campus/#commentsThu, 07 Oct 2010 14:00:10 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5106Students have found a new forum for relieving frustrations and starting discussions about peers and campus organizations. Collegeacb.com (acronym stands for Anonymous Confession Board) allows users to anonymously make posts without censorship or repercussions.

The site, no longer accessible from the JCU campus server, was blocked by JCU’s Information Technology Service Department on Sept. 28 at the request of Sherri Crahen, dean of students.

Crahen was unfamiliar with CollegeACB until two female students victimized by the site brought it to her attention.

“They pulled it up on my computer and showed it to me and I was appalled,” said Crahen. “I was very concerned about the types of comments that students were posting about each other.”

Crahen talked with Donna Byrnes, associate dean of students, and they agreed that the site should be blocked as soon as possible.

“I think the school was right to block the site,” said Amanda Papa, Student Union president. “It was an extremely negative forum and only had the potential to hurt students.”

The website’s mission statement reads: “The CollegeACB or College Anonymous Confession Board seeks to give students a place to vent, rant and talk to college peers in an environment free from social constraints and about subjects that might otherwise be taboo.”

The site’s owner and operator, Wesleyan University junior, Peter Frank, claims that it was not created with the intent for students to bash one another. Regardless, the site’s content is often very controversial.

While the John Carroll CollegeACB site does include some harmless discussion boards, it has also served as a forum where students have anonymously called out their peers by name, critiqued appearances and reputations, and contributed other rumors.

In an interview with NBC Connecticut, Frank said, “Right now, it’s [the site is] mostly used for gossip. That’s largely a result of us taking over juicycampus.com, but that’s never been our mission, and we’ve never called for salacious gossip.”

When juicycampus.com, a similar style website, shut down on Feb. 5, 2009, they were paid by CollegeACB to direct users to Frank’s site.

According to the JuicyCampus blog, the site shut down because of budgetary reasons, not lawsuits. However, a Time Magazine article pointed out that “this happened around the time two state attorneys general began investigating the site for possibly violating consumer-protection laws and its own terms of use.”

Crahen didn’t threaten CollegeACB with a lawsuit, but she did e-mail the site from her account explaining who she is and her concerns about the way students are using the site.

“I received an automated response,” said Crahen. “It was disappointing to say the least.”

According to Time Magazine numerous individuals and several schools have asked Frank to delete comments or remove the site all together.

Frank is able to keep the site in operation due partly to the Communications Decency Act of 1996. This shields website operators from liability for user-generated content.

Frank will remove content when requested. It could take a day or two, but users are sent a link with the status of their request. Information can also be automatically removed if enough logged-in users report a post.

The site is still in operation, but students are discouraged from using the site by administrators and Student Union.

Ashley Bauer, Student Union VP for communications, said, “As a Jesuit university, we represent the Jesuit value of men and women for others. Specifically in the collegeacb.com situation, we hope that students will represent this Jesuit value by eliminating the usage of this website in our community.”

Crahen encourages students affected by the website to utilize resources on campus like the Violence Prevention and Action Center, the University Counseling Center and campus ministry.

As for the future of the site beyond JCU, according to Time Magazine, Frank said, “I’m untouchable.”

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/10/07/collegeacb-blocked-on-campus/feed/0Are you employing a criminal?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/30/are-you-employing-a-criminal/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/30/are-you-employing-a-criminal/#commentsThu, 30 Sep 2010 14:00:28 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=5000If you knew someone who cheated his classmates out of millions of dollars; took the intellectual property of someone else and slightly modified it to call it his own; and turned on the only person he could call a friend, would you be proud to say you helped him become the world’s youngest billionaire?

This is what the movie “Social Network” might lead you to believe about Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. The film officially opens tomorrow, Oct. 1 and is based on Ben Mezrich’s book proposal for “The Accidental Billionaires.” The book is told mostly from a first person prospective of Zuckerberg’s former best friend and Harvard classmate, Eduardo Saverin. According to the Boston Globe, “Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin said, “[The movie] uses flashbacks, spun out during a pair of depositions — to make it clear that the story of Facebook is disputed, and the movie isn’t taking sides.”

The problem is that I left that movie with very strong feelings about what side I was on and I don’t think I came to those conclusions all on my own.

After an advanced screening last week, I left the movie detesting Mark Zuckerberg, Sean Parker, founder of Napster, and myself for employing them.

The movie portrays Zuckerberg as a rude, arrogant genius who pushed aside friendship and ethics for personal gain. The movie is centered in a courtroom, where lawyers are deciding who is rightfully responsible for Facebook.

Saverin, the first CFO and financial contributor to Facebook, claims that he’s been cheated out of millions of dollars by his former best friend.

Divya Narendra and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, other Harvard students, are also suing the Facebook billionaire. While at Harvard, they approached Zuckerberg for assistance with their concept called Harvard Connection. The three men claimed Zuckerberg stole their idea. According to The New Yorker, “As [Zuckerberg] tells the story, the ideas behind the two social networks were totally different. Their [Narendra and Winklevosses’] site, he says, emphasized dating, while his emphasized networking.”

Regardless of the way the movie portrays Zuckerberg, those statements are true. He did face lawsuits from the four Harvard classmates. The questionable material is the addition of other scenes and the way Sorkin wrote Zuckerberg’s character.

Sorkin is best known for writing “West Wing.” It is ironically one of Zuckerberg’s favorite shows, according to The Face of Facebook, an article in the Sept. 20, 2010 issue of The New Yorker.

Zuckerberg may be reconsidering his love of Sorin’s work after the “Social Network” opens. Some believe he is already trying to save face by quickly becoming a philanthropist. On The Oprah Winfrey Show last Friday, Sept. 24, Zuckerberg announced a $100 million dollar donation to Newark, N.J. schools.

According to The Boston Globe, Sorin said, “This movie’s a true story. It’s more than a true story. It’s several versions of a true story.’’

A Fortune500 article on CNNMoney.com by David Kaplan, seems to think quite the opposite. The article is titled “‘The Social Network mystery: Where are the lawsuits?” and claims “the moviemakers satisfied their own agenda: they went for accuracy (when it suited them) and were apparently able to defuse any potential Facebook thoughts of litigation, while at the same time being able to focus on ‘storytelling’ rather than ‘truth.’”

As for the more than 6,000 word article in The New Yorker, it is a more unbiased look at the billionaire, but it left me with the feeling that for the most part the movie is accurate. Zuckerberg is a genius, but he was so focused on the outcome that he forgot what it means to get there ethically.

But like more than 500 million others, I still have a Facebook.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/30/are-you-employing-a-criminal/feed/0Stop contacting mehttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/23/stop-contacting-me/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/23/stop-contacting-me/#commentsThu, 23 Sep 2010 14:00:14 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4913JCU seems to be ahead of the game with finding the latest ways to reach us.

Aside from the text message alert, which I support (except when I get a monthly text notification at 2:14 a.m.), JCU is abusing their ability to contact us. Right now that includes Blackboard, BannerWeb, and OrgSync.

E-mail, a class all on its own, consists of: All-Stus, messages sent in OrgSync, Speedbumps, the church bulletin, Center for Service and Social Action newsletter, the Student Union newsletter, and the Weekend Wowzer. I’m sure there are a few I’m forgetting, but thank goodness The Carroll News is still available in print.

I would hope you agree that it is getting a little out of hand. Therefore, I have chosen only to respond to two. I understand that there are many organizations on this campus and they all need to reach the students, but my electronic world is becoming overpopulated.

Since I’m feeling nice, and JCU probably won’t change their system anytime soon, let’s choose four. I’ll give them two educational resources and two social.

I see the purpose of BannerWeb, although I find it difficult to use and think its features like “what-if analysis” are underutilized. I am a huge fan of Blackboard. Most of my teachers seem to need a refresher course on its capabilities, but when used properly, it can assist in everything from tracking my grades to class discussions. You can also check grades on BannerWeb, but it isn’t as clear and often only registers if you’re failing (perhaps too little, too late).

OrgSync is the most unnecessary program at JCU. I couldn’t find the price on the official website, but even if we’re paying $5 a year, why was it necessary to purchase this program? I remember when SUPB (yes, before my days of The CN I dabbled in other organizations) used Blackboard as a forum to reach its members.

If OrgSync is the way of the future, maybe I’m too old to care. I know they used it for Homecoming voting, so there must be some beneficial qualities, but I would find it hard to believe that JCU doesn’t also have a subscription to Survey Monkey.

So, decision made: BannerWeb and Blackboard. Both should be explored further to see exactly what they have to offer, but are good resources.

As for all of these ridiculous e-mails, we can already rule out messages sent through OrgSync because I’m doing away with the system. I’m a fan of quotes, but I think once a week would do, so let’s throw Speedbumps in with the church bulletin. The majority of people reading the church bulletin are also reading the CSSA newsletter, so let’s lump those together too. I don’t know anyone who reads the SU newsletter, no offense guys. Maybe you should just put something in the All-Stu. The only problem with that is no one reads the All-Stus either.

In case you didn’t pick up on it, we’re keeping the church bulletin. We do go to a Jesuit institution after all. Surprisingly, my second choice is the All-Stus that no one reads. I picked this because I think if we weren’t inundated by other campus e-mail crap we’d be more likely to read them. I’m sure SU can include a link to their newsletter and the Weekend Wowzer.

So that’s it. For educational purposes you can reach me on BannerWeb and Blackboard. Social needs can be publicized with the electronic church bulletin and the All-Stu. The rest might as well be sent to the spam folder.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/23/stop-contacting-me/feed/0You’re an only child?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/16/you%e2%80%99re-an-only-child/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/16/you%e2%80%99re-an-only-child/#commentsThu, 16 Sep 2010 14:00:32 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4776People with no siblings are spoiled, bossy, maladjusted, selfish and weird.

Franklin Roosevelt, Condoleezza Rice, Lance Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley are just a few of those people. I don’t think of them bossy or selfish, and they certainly don’t seem maladjusted. Lance and Elvis might be a little weird, but I doubt that has anything to do with being only children. Then again, I’m probably a little biased because I’m also an only child.

Inevitably, several times a year I’ll have to introduce myself and share an interesting fact. I must not be a very interesting person because I can never think of anything. I used to offer up the fact that I’m an only child, but decided that needed to stop because as soon as people discovered that I didn’t have any siblings they began to make assumptions. People who already knew me would say, “Really Katie, you don’t have any brothers or sisters? You don’t seem like an only child.”

I take that as a compliment. Only children are obviously spoiled. Their parents have only one kid to spend all their hard earned money on, but that doesn’t automatically make us all brats or make our parents incredibly wealthy. My parents expected me to make my own money so as soon as I turned 16, I got a job.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t always great at sharing, but when I was born my parents both worked full-time, so I started attending daycare when I was only five-weeks-old. This meant that every day I was surrounded by at least ten kids and had to share everything from snacks to building blocks.

But here is the really big news, it turns out I’m not the only single child who turned out all right. In fact, the whole notion of us being bossy and maladjusted began in 1896 with a study conducted by Granville Stanley Hall. He gave us a bad name and called our only child lifestyle a “disease.”

Toni Falbo, a professor of educational psychology and sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, is also an only child and read Hall’s studies. Then she decided to begin conducting a little research of her own. According to Time Magazine, she and colleague Denise Polit conducted a meta-analysis of 115 studies of only children. They looked at how the children learned to adjust, build character, become social, perform in school, and their overall intelligence. And the results, well they say that only children “aren’t measurably different from other kids — except that they, along with firstborns and people who have only one sibling, score higher in measures of intelligence and achievement.”

So it looks like the stereotypes are somewhat accurate. We might be kind of weird and different, but that isn’t a negative, and along with firstborns, we are apparently more intelligent.

This is not to say that only children are better. I’m sure Jon and Kate Gosselin would want to contest that statement. I just want you to know that yes, we’re spoiled. However, if we’re weird or maladjusted it has little to do with being an only child and let’s be honest, everyone is a little selfish and bossy no matter how many siblings you have.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/16/you%e2%80%99re-an-only-child/feed/0Commitment to servehttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/commitment-to-serve/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/commitment-to-serve/#commentsThu, 09 Sep 2010 14:00:42 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4721In 1951, the first cadet at John Carroll University was sworn in as a second lieutenant. Today, Sept. 9, 2010, fifteen students followed in the cadet’s footsteps, by taking an oath at the JCU Wolfpack Battalion Contracting Ceremony.

The ceremony is the process of making a commitment to serve as an officer on active or reserve duty upon graduation. It is required for all students who either accept a scholarship or enter ‘advanced’ courses, but for most cadets it has deeper meaning.

“[The Contracting Ceremony] sums up what I’ve been waiting for, for a couple of months now. We become part of the ROTC family,” said cadet Jeffery Turner. “I already felt like part of the family, but it puts it in writing.”

Turner, a junior at Cleveland State University, is just one of the cadets contracting that isn’t from JCU. John Carroll plays host to eight schools in the area including: Baldwin-Wallace College, Cleveland State University, Notre Dame College, Case Western Reserve University, Hiram College, Oberlin College, and Ursuline College.

Collectively the students participating in this Contracting Ceremony will receive more than $1 million in scholarships.

While money probably plays a role for some cadets, many have other reasons for contracting as well. JCU sophomore Mary Solak credits her aunt for her initial interest.

“It has been an interest to me ever since I was younger. My aunt was in the army and she was a big influence in my life,” said Solak.

Captain Matthew McGraw, scholarship and enrollment officer for the department of military science (ROTC), is excited to see people like Solak and Turner involved in the program.

“Coming off active duty it is encouraging to see people of this age with this much commitment,” said McGraw.

The Contracting Ceremony was held at 7 a.m. this morning. It was an open community event. The Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J., and all other university presidents were invited to attend.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/commitment-to-serve/feed/0Economy or Parkinghttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/economy-or-parking/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/economy-or-parking/#commentsThu, 09 Sep 2010 14:00:30 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4698Labor Day: a day off from work or for many Americans just another day without a job.

This year it seems particularly ironic that the celebration of your ability to work warrants a day away from the office. According to the United States Department of Labor the day is a “tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” That is probably a difficult concept for many Americans to appreciate when they haven’t been working for months.

If you asked students at John Carroll what is more important to them, our parking situation or the recession, I’m fairly confident that they would say parking. It isn’t a matter of which is politically more important, but if the recession is even affecting our lives.

When seniors started college the unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, but three years later it has risen to almost double that at 9.8 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, if every story in the news didn’t begin with “due to the recession” or “because of a changing economy,” I bet a lot of college students wouldn’t even know our economy is suffering.

Maybe that is too bold of a statement, but what exactly does the recession mean for us?

Honestly, the recession hasn’t taken a direct toll on my life, and a lot of my friends who graduated last year have found jobs. We’ve all heard that when we graduate it might force us to strongly consider graduate school or make finding jobs more difficult. Likewise, I’m sure some of us have family members who are suffering because of lack of employment, but as long as we’re in the confines of JCU, it is not a matter of how, but if it will affect us at all.

According to The New York Times, the recession may have college students rethinking their political parties. When it is time to vote college students may act in two very different ways. They could decide they are adamantly against the way the economy is currently being run, and vote to have Republicans regain control of the House and Senate; or if they abandon their dedication to politics completely, they may abstain from voting.

Regardless of your dedication to education, or mommy and daddy’s pocketbook, eventually we will all need to find a job. So, even if we don’t feel the effects of the economy while we’re at JCU, we will soon enough.

Think of the economy like John Carroll. There used to be a lot more parking spaces, but they have been taken away and because of budget reasons it could be a while before they are replaced. If JCU represented America, and those parking spaces were jobs, it would sound kind of like our current economic situation and maybe students would be feeling the effect of the outcome.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/09/09/economy-or-parking/feed/0Evaluations: Does what you have to say matter?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/evaluations-does-what-you-have-to-say-matter/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/evaluations-does-what-you-have-to-say-matter/#commentsThu, 06 May 2010 14:00:39 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4444Senior Brienna Rabb watched as another student completed an instructor evaluation by circling all the same numbers for the multiple-choice section and skipping over the comment segment entirely.

At the end of every semester students are required to fill out a one to two page survey about their instructor’s teaching style, performance and overall effectiveness.

With no direct feedback, students are left wondering what happens to their critiques.

“[It] definitely gives students time to say things, but I don’t know if the department takes them seriously,” said sophomore Erin Riccaridi. “It would be nice to know if they are being taken seriously.”

Every department at John Carroll University implements a different style of evaluation. The effectiveness and results differ drastically from department to department, and in some cases, from instructor to instructor.

James Martin, associate dean of the Boler School of Business, assures that the evaluations are an important tool.

“Everyone in the school of business uses the same [evaluation] form. The quantitative section is then loaded into a large data file,” said Martin.

According to Martin, the school of business is constantly redesigning and altering their evaluation system to make it more effective.

“[The evaluations] are something we take very seriously,” said Martin.

In the Tim Russert Department of Communications instructors are allowed to create their own evaluation forms and while the department uses them as a means for professors to self-evaluate, there is no central office that reviews the information.

Karen Gygli, chair of the Tim Russert Department of Communications, thinks that the evaluations might not be the most effective tool.

“There is not one form, [and] although there is a suggested form, there is no central office to process them.”

Gygli said she glances over the evaluations. “If there was a general pattern over a period of time I would talk with students,” she said.

In both departments the evaluation forms are delivered by a student and not revealed to the instructor until grades have been recorded.

Both Gygli and Martin also said that they would look into a teacher that received poor ratings, but not based on just one review.

The importance of the evaluation form is based on student input and the department’s use of the responses.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/evaluations-does-what-you-have-to-say-matter/feed/0Is awkwardhttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/is-awkward/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/is-awkward/#commentsThu, 06 May 2010 14:00:28 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4403Not too long ago my friends and I were leaving the cafeteria. When we turned the corner a large group of people were headed toward us. Not thinking, afraid of getting in their way, and actually trying to avoid an awkward moment, I dodged to the side to get out of their way. I reacted as though they were going to attack me. My friends died laughing, as did the boys walking past.

After the Sweet Carrollines and Rhapsody Blue concert I walked to the Dolan parking lot looking for my car that a friend had parked. I decided to locate it faster by hitting the panic button on my keys. After several attempts there was still no sound. Finally, lights started to flash and the horn honked.

Already feeling obnoxious for using my panic button to find my car, I loudly announced to the parking lot, “Don’t worry, I found my car.” I turned to my friend and we began to walk toward my car. As we headed that way, so did three guys. We then watched as they got into the car and I smiled and said, “Well, guess I didn’t find my car, but you did. Congrats!” – Yes, it was somewhat embarrassing.

At the end of the night we had to go get the girl who parked my car and when we finally located it I didn’t announce it to the parking lot, but for anyone who was there, you can rest assured we found my car. I also successfully filled that night’s quota of awkwardness.

I’m not complaining, being awkward makes my life much more interesting than it would be otherwise. My lack of athletic ability, dancing skills, and height all add to the quality of my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Google has an endless source of ways to combat my awkward tendencies, but what fun would that be? Instead I have reached my own conclusion.

The solution to living a less awkward life is to surround yourself with more awkward people.

Hello friends, you are all part of my life for a reason: you’re awkward. (And if you’re not, hang out with me long enough and you will become awkward. It is my gift to you.)

In the past month my best friends on campus have caused many awkward moments of their very own. One of my friends closed her own arm in her trunk and had a nice bruise to prove it. When asked how she dealt with stress, another one of my friends told her interviewer that she ate feelings, preferring chocolate or junk food. (She got the job.)

My best friend from home tackled another small blonde girl at our high school homecoming football game because she thought it was me – It wasn’t.

So, as I live my life I will continue to fall up steps, say things I don’t mean, panic that my shirt is on inside out, create new more awkward moments, and surround myself with even weirder people.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/05/06/is-awkward/feed/0Relay For Life drops in number of participants and donationshttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/29/relay-for-life-drops-in-number-of-participants-and-donations/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/29/relay-for-life-drops-in-number-of-participants-and-donations/#commentsThu, 29 Apr 2010 14:00:24 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4348Relay For Life participants raised about $40,000 last weekend roughly 40 percent of the $100,356.86 raised in 2007 when John Carroll University was named the top collegiate Relay event in the country for their bracket. The $40,000 is an estimate, according to Office of Student Activities Graduate Assistant Rachel Ball, who served as Relay For Life adviser.

The 2007 record-breaking year was also the first year that Relay For Life, an American Cancer Society fundraising event, was held at JCU. Since then the event has seen varying numbers of participants and a steady decline in fundraising dollars, dropping around $20,000 from year to year.

Ball said, “Every year we rally as much as we can and let it [build] from there.”

This year, 608 Relay participants contributed to the total amount of money raised, almost 250 fewer participants than last year.

Joel Mullner, assistant director of enrollment and 2007 co-chair of Relay, helped bring the event to JCU four years ago when he was a senior. For the past two years he has worked on the event through the role of graduate assistant for the office of student activities, the position now held by Ball. This was his first year without a direct role in the event. Since the event was brought to JCU, he has seen the event experience changes.

Mullner mentioned three major things that factor into the differing fundraising amounts: participants, the economy and a previous sizable donation.

The first two years were more comparable in donations than they may have appeared. “[In 2007] one donor who gave a very sizable donation, did not give a second year,” said Mullner.

Mullner has also noticed that the number of participants could play a role in fundraising. “The more participants there are, the more sense of obligation each person has to raise $100,” said Mullner. “The economy tanking has not helped [donations].”

Ball noted that the amount of sponsorship has also diminished each year. Ball said, “Corporate sponsors have dropped and that is really the bottom line.”

Despite lower funds, Ball was very happy with the outcome of the event. “[I think it was] outstanding! You could feel the energy surrounding the event,” she said.

Other noticeable differences in this year’s event were the ability to stay outside all night and the smaller leadership team, which was reduced from 19 to 13 students.

As reported in the April 15 issue of The Carroll News, Mayor Susan Infeld, a participant in Relay, permitted the event to remain outside all night. Rain forced the event inside, but Ball is hopeful it will stay outside in years to come.

“We were disappointed to have to move inside, but I am hopeful that this year paved the way for future outdoor Relays,” said Ball.

The smaller leadership team was Mullner’s idea. “Some positions could be combined with others,” said Mullner. “We wanted it to be large enough where no one is [overwhelmed], but still small enough to get together [for meetings].”

Ball was appreciative of the leadership team and the volunteers. “Though the 13 students were amazing, we could not have been as successful without the volunteers.”

While I like to think the caliber of my columns is slightly above the absolutely absurd, this week there is something rather elementary that I would like to discuss: farts. Loud, silent, small, no matter the delivery they all stink.

When I was writing the first draft of this article I was on an airplane to New York and I’m fairly certain that the man next to me consumed at least three bean burritos before boarding and then released the contents into his pants during the flight. (He may or may not have been a fellow editor of mine.)

Yes, I am aware that everyone farts: royalty, presidents, Jesus, and yes, even I do on occasion. According to medicalnewstoday.com passing gas is a natural bodily function. The site also claims that the average person farts 14 times a day. However, if you ask the boys in this newsroom that is an understatement. Better yet, ask the girls in this newsroom. They’ll agree that the “average person” the site is referring to must not include the boys on staff.

Those boys are the inspiration for this column. The newsroom never smells pleasant, and a lot of things factor into that, but I think the boys contribute the most via bodily functions.

Basically I want to know if it is necessary for all this stinky business. What happens if you don’t release that potent gas? According to psychiatrists if you keep emotions bottled up you’ll explode, so can the same be said about farts? (That would be rather messy.)

At this point you’re probably either disgusted or intrigued, but either way we now know you do it 14 times a day, and you probably haven’t done this research on your own, so this could be rather enlightening.

According to Merriam-Webster (the dictionary), a fart is “an expulsion of intestinal gas or a foolish or contemptible person.” For our purposes, we’ll go with the first definition.

According to the other Webster (Sean, our world news editor), “one of the leading sources of carbon emissions in the United States, farts are what happen when the body reaches its maximum capacity of bodily gases. The stomach muscles expel the gas through the colon, which vibrates the muscles of the buttocks, usually resulting in a loud ripping sound and a bad smell – depending on what you ate.”

So is this “expulsion of intestinal gas” necessary? According to all the sites on the Internet, it isn’t bad to hold it in, but it is occasionally uncomfortable. Webmd.com claims that you can eliminate some gas by choosing foods that do not cause increased gas such as beans, pop, milk and bran. However, the site didn’t share any information about withholding the gas.

Even with this limited information we can conclude that farts are not the same as emotions. You can hold them in and you won’t explode. There are only two situations I can think of when holding it in isn’t a practical solution. Sometimes you can’t wait which often leads to the SBD (silent-but-deadly) fart, and I don’t know anyone who goes to the bathroom 14 times a day, so it might be a little inconvenient.

But we’re too old to blame it on the dog or kid sitting next to you. We’re also not 90, so there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to control your body. So, even though this school is full of “average people,” let’s try to keep our farting in public to a minimum or at least try to contain it until you’re in an open area.

As I said in my opening, this column is out of the ordinary for me and something you might expect to see in a different corner of the newspaper (like the bottom of page 18).

Regardless, I hope you now know that you can contain that intestinal gas, and even avoid some of it. The bottom line is that I hope this provided you with a laugh. It is a stressful time, and just like farts, finals stink.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/29/because-sometimes-life-stinks/feed/0Hit/miss: a conference at The New York Timeshttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/22/hitmiss-a-conference-at-the-new-york-times/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/22/hitmiss-a-conference-at-the-new-york-times/#commentsThu, 22 Apr 2010 14:00:10 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4208The New York Times is known around the world as a prestigious and reputable news source. In New York City, it is the namesake of Times Square.

Last weekend, it was also the site of “Inside The Times,” a workshop for college newspaper editors. Bob Seeholzer and I were two of those editors. With high hopes and the desire for another resume bullet, we boarded the plane for La Guardia Airport.

The whirlwind trip began on Sunday afternoon. After one large pizza, several cans of Coke, and one very dull seminar, the trip was over.

The trip was a hit and miss, so that is how I will recap it for you. In the style of The CN’s editorial page, here is my Times trip Hit/miss starting from the beginning.

Hit: We flew to New York instead of driving.

Hit: We ordered a large Villa pizza in the airport and saved by buying in bulk.

miss: It took so long to make it, that by the time it was done we had to take the entire large pizza on the plane with us.

miss: It barely fit down the aisle.

Hit: Our hotel was very close to Times Square.

miss: It was also next to a shady night club with a bouncer who had “TapOut” shaved into his head.

Hit/miss: According to urbandictionary.com “Tapout” is a brand of clothing for martial artists.

Hit/miss: Walking around Times Square after midnight listening to Bob recording on the “I am T-Pain” app.

miss: They were all lectures, not presentations. Only two included handouts, and not one had graphic aids.

miss: Most of the information included very basic editing tips for a room full of editors.

Hit: The lobby of The Times has really cool artwork called “movable type.” It selects words, phrases, and incomplete thoughts from The Times newsroom and projects them on small electronic screens. The variety and frequency reflects the productivity of the newsroom. It serves as a pretty cool form of artwork.

miss: We didn’t get to see anything at The Times except the lobby and a conference room.

Hit: I stumbled upon their cafeteria while I was looking for an approved place to use my cell phone. It was also pretty cool.

Hit: The Times building is environmentally friendly.

miss: We heard way too much about it because one of the other scheduled speakers didn’t show.

Hit: Lunch was pretty good and included three types of cookies.

Hit: Barstow told us about when a minister took out an $80,000 hit on his life because of an article Barstow wrote about the man’s church related fraud.

miss: Several editors told us we’re crazy for getting into this field and that we’d never make much money.

Hit: They said we should stick with it anyway.

Hit: They gave us a free water bottle, hat, pen, notebook, Frisbee and drawstring bag.

I am very grateful that I was able to attend, but the conference was slightly underwhelming.

I was expecting intriguing editors with bold presentations and a tour of the building. It is The New York Times after all, not the Sun Press. Even at The Carroll News we’ll give you a tour if you ask nicely.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/22/hitmiss-a-conference-at-the-new-york-times/feed/0Butterfly clips, Art Stuff glitter, and slap braceletshttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/15/butterfly-clips-art-stuff-glitter-and-slap-braclets/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/04/15/butterfly-clips-art-stuff-glitter-and-slap-braclets/#commentsThu, 15 Apr 2010 14:00:46 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=4125Last weekend, the Masters was on, and in case you’re not a huge golf fan like I am (sarcasm), Phil Mickelson won. His wife and family congratulated him as he walked off the green. Mickelson’s oldest daughter was also there to greet him, and while I’m sure she will grow into a beautiful woman like her mother, right now she is clearly in the middle school phase of her life.

A middle school phase is when boys and girls try to figure themselves out. It usually occurs in sixth, seventh and eighth grade.

In grade school, we were acceptably still children; but as we got older, we had to figure out how to be adults.

Beanie Babies and American Girl Dolls had to be pushed aside as we attempted to quickly mature. Now, we could waste our nights playing Sims, calling our friends to see if they would be on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), and updating our MySpace pages with the latest songs and coolest backgrounds.

My middle school phase happend in Grove City Middle School. It was home to the most awkward years of my life, and I didn’t have a clue. I thought I was cool.

Butterfly clips crowned my head, and on the days I wasn’t wearing those I might sport the single butterfly clip with the movable wings, or the comb headband that dug into my scalp and probably looked as bad as it was painful.

For special occasions I’d break out Bath & Body Works Art Stuff Glitter products and cover my arms, neck and sometimes add a little to my hair. The more glitter you used the better you would look.

When it was time for school dances, my lips were usually a metallic shade compliments of Lip Smackers, and I’d choose colored bands for my braces that matched my outfit.

While I don’t remember wearing them to dances, I would occasionally get out the always stylish black stretchy choker necklace and slap bracelet.

And, for dances my nails were almost always a pastel shade of nail polish that I would peel off the next day. I’d finish off my dance look with some bright (usually blue) eye shadow.

So to recap, Beanie Babies, American Girl Dolls and being a kid are out. Sims, MySpace, AIM, butterfly clips, glitter, metallic chapstick, slap braceletes, choker necklaces and maturing into adults are in.

By looking at my young face, some might think I’m still in the middle school phase, but believe me, I’ve come along way.

Now I’m in my college phase. Right now I can’t see what will mark this era, but I know I’m not ready for the real world phase yet, and thankfully I have another year.

As I’m watching so many of my friends prepare for the real world stage, part of me wants to buy them Art Stuff glitter and Lip Smackers chapstick in hope that it might push them back into the middle school phase and delay their graduation. If it meant they could stick around for a little while longer, I’d help them apply their bright blue eye shadow and lend them my, I mean buy them, butterfly clips.

But since even the middle schoolers have to mature, I guess I’ll have to save my glitter for another day and just be glad I still have another year.

A 17-year-old in Kennewick, Wa. is one of those stupid people. Because he is underage, his name hasn’t been released, but to make this story easier to understand we’ll call him Smith. Smith is probably a lot like any other 17-year-old. He might enjoy video games, skateboarding, oh, and watching a little porn at the local office furniture store.

That’s right, our dear friend Smith made a series of stupid choices, one of which was watching porn in a store. But since he is our “dear friend” we can easily, and sarcastically, justify his actions.

First, Smith broke into Bella Office Furniture. It was a risky move, but how else could he ensure that the furniture was up to his standards?

Next he got on the office computer, logged onto the Internet, and checked out his MySpace. He most likely needed to update his status to, “hanging in Bella Office Furniture, hit me up if you want something.” In fact, according to an AP report, he also used the office computer to start selling the merchandise he had stolen. He must be a smart kid, I mean, why not kill two birds with one stone? This way he wouldn’t need to take more than necessary, and if the clients had specific requests he could satisfy those needs more efficiently.

And when Smith had finished business, it was time to watch a little porn. By that time, he had a hard day at the office (furniture store) and he needed to relax. As Oprah has said, “You can’t take care of others, until you take care of yourself.”

It turns out that from the police officers’ perspectives, his actions weren’t quite as justifiable as I tried to make them. And, his “smart” move of logging on to Myspace, well, that may have been a dead giveaway.

Smith certainly has a lot to learn, and as my fellow editor, Bob Seeholzer pointed out last week, the Internet can be a dangerous place.

I think Facebook and MySpace are possibly two of the most dangerous places. Not only will they help the police figure out if you broke into a store and used a computer, but they could also provide your address, telephone number and birth date.

When I logged on to my Twitter this week, something I rarely do, it said that I could include my location with my tweets. Now, is it really necessary for everyone to know where I am?

A Web site called pleaserobme.com is trying to say just that. According to their Web site, the creators don’t want anyone to get robbed, but they are pointing out Facebook and MySpace users’ stupidity.

When you share with people where you live, information about the new flat-screen TV you just bought, and that you’re going to the movies for the night—guess what; you just asked to be burglarized.

A man named Michael Fraser knows a little something about the way a burglar thinks. Fraser works for BBC as a “reformed burglar.” It is an interesting title, but he has turned over a new leaf and is making a career out of it.

This “expert” calls social media sites “Internet shopping for burglars.” According to an article on Reuters.com, “[Aside from] information about [people taking] trips, people [are] posting party photos, showing the interiors of homes, and also chatting about their cool new purchases and presents.”

Fraser said, “It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home all from the comfort of the sofa.”

So, while Smith made a lot of stupid choices, just having a MySpace account may have been the biggest mistake in his eyes. Before you leave for the weekend, or steal from a store, think of Smith and don’t share too much personal info or update your social network site profile.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/25/people-are-stupid/feed/0Lost and found?http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/lost-and-found/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/lost-and-found/#commentsThu, 18 Mar 2010 14:01:11 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=3937On Feb. 17 Kyle Shepard, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, received an e-mail from someone who signed the message as “Kim Meadows.” In the e-mail Meadows asked if Shepard would be interested in a copy of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity manual.

As a fellow fraternity member, Shepard knew the significance of a book like that ending up with someone other than the rightful owners. Shepard planned to see Beta president Andy Lane later that day, so he responded to Meadows and said he would be interested in getting the book in order to return it to Lane.

Meadows answered Shepard’s request with an e-mail that read, “that depends. How much is it worth to you?” By the time Shepard read the response he had already spoken with Lane.

To Shepard’s knowledge, Lane was unaware that the book was missing. “Andy thanked me for bringing it to his attention,” said Shepard.

Lane then informed Nick Orlando, ritual chair for the fraternity. Orlando is responsible for keeping the books so he was able to verify that one book was missing. According to Orlando the book was misplaced because of miscommunication. He thought someone else had the book, and they thought he had it.

Orlando then learned of the Kim Meadows e-mails and took matters into his own hands. He had Shepard send him a copy of the e-mails. He then recognized that the IP address from the original e-mail indicated that it was sent from a computer located on campus. He took it to Information Technology Services to trace which computer in particular it came from.

In addition to the IP address, the MAC address contained in the header of the e-mail sent from Meadows was used to pinpoint that the e-mail was sent from the computer located in the CSS guardhouse at the entrance to the Belvoir Lot. Orlando then contacted CSS to file an official complaint.

A few days later the book was returned to the fraternity, but Peppard had no response as to who was responsible for the e-mails. “The ingredient that’s missing is the person who sent the e-mail,” said Peppard.

CSS contacted the kimm0805@yahoo.com e-mail address about the book. According to Peppard there is no way to verify who returned it, but it was brought back to the CSS lost and found.

CSS has talked to Shepard and Orlando, but has yet to interview the person who sent the e-mail. When asked why they didn’t talk to the person when he/she dropped the book off, Peppard said there was miscommunication between those conducting the investigation and the lost and found.

“We should have said if somebody drops something off, then we want to talk to them. In the mix of things, that didn’t happen.”

According to Peppard, the CSS officer on duty let someone send an e-mail from the guardhouse computer.

According to Peppard, “[the officer] knew the person in passing.” The officer let them use the computer and that’s when the e-mail was sent. “The employee told me, ‘Yes, I let someone send an e-mail,’” said Peppard

“Do I object to letting people in the guardhouse? I don’t have a lot of choice, but do I think we should let someone send an e-mail? No.”

The subsequent e-mails sent by CSS to the suspect have not been answered. It remains an ongoing investigation.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/lost-and-found/feed/0This is what happens when you assumehttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/this-is-what-happens-when/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/this-is-what-happens-when/#commentsThu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:01 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=3923I’m short and pale. I straighten my hair every day and I’ve never worn sweat pants to class. While I like to think I dress nicely, my clothes aren’t all name brand, and lately I’ve been carrying a backpack that I’ve had since fifth grade. When I’m on campus, if I’m not in class I’m probably in the newsroom.

Most likely, I sound pretty boring. If you tried to fit me into a stereotype I’d probably be a typical girl, a little geeky, and definitely a Carroll News member—whatever stereotype that equates to.

But, what if instead I described myself like this …

Tanning is a priority for me. I like to look so brown that others may think I’m tinted orange. Large pearl earrings are a common accessory for me. Name brands are very important. In the winter I’ll be in Ugg boots and a North Face coat. When I feel like being comfortable you will probably find me wearing Victoria’s Secret PINK sweatpants.

I am passionate about taking a stand. Whenever possible I like to sacrifice things others take for granted. I think my facial piercing makes me different. I always try to buy organic and Fair Trade clothing because I like what it symbolizes and the impact it makes on society. I like challenging your views and probably don’t agree with your ideals.

This campus is my life. I am a mentor for the students. On a Saturday night I can be found in a room working and doing homework. I like to eat with the same people for breakfast, lunch and dinner and when I have free time I usually spend it with them. I don’t like to get people in trouble, but when someone is breaking the rules, it is my job to point it out.

I like T-shirts with funny sayings like, “Go ahead, make my data!” I love computers, except when they aren’t working properly, but it’s OK, I usually know how to fix them. My friends are interested in the same things and you’re welcome to hang out with us, but you might have trouble understanding our technical terms.

I definitely enjoy the party scene. Rehab is like a vacation. I like to change my hairstyle. I used to think red hair was cute, but dark brown is sexy. I’ve dated a few guys, but now I’m giving girls a chance. I am well endowed both physically and monetarily. Oh, and if you defame my name I will sue you, even if you do it with a cute talking baby.

Lindsay Lohan might say in that last one I was trying to describe her, and I should probably be a little nervous. Last week Lohan filed a $100 million lawsuit against E-Trade for their 2010 Super Bowl commercial. In the E-Trade commercial the recognizable “talking babies” discussed their dating lives. The female baby accused the male of hanging out with a boyfriend stealing girl named Lindsay. Baby Lindsay was also referred to as a “milkaholic.” According to Lohan, this was E-Trade’s way of making a direct nod to her partying lifestyle.

So what? I’m willing to bet a few people are offended by this column, but here’s the thing: I didn’t call out anyone. In fact, if you reread it, I say I’m giving alternate descriptions of myself. I didn’t even associate my descriptions as the stereotypes of certain groups. If you think it was a direct insult to someone, you created that theory on your own. But maybe stereotypes hold greater power than we think. Maybe they help us identify people, and maybe Lohan is justified in her lawsuit. But in the end, if stereotypes are just assumptions then it looks like we’re just all guilty of making an ass out of you and me.

]]>http://www.jcunews.com/2010/03/18/this-is-what-happens-when/feed/0World Snoozehttp://www.jcunews.com/2010/02/25/world-snooze/
http://www.jcunews.com/2010/02/25/world-snooze/#commentsThu, 25 Feb 2010 15:00:27 +0000http://www.jcunews.com/?p=3709Our world news editor, Sean Webster, takes a lot of flak from our staff, but with good reason. He is responsible for a section of the newspaper that receives little attention and always has the potential to be outdated.

We affectionately refer to Webster as our “world snooze” editor and joke that no one reads his section, so it doesn’t really matter. It may seem harsh, but that is nothing in comparison to our humor related to other sections and we’re joking … sort of.

I assume that most people that religously read the world news section are writers for the section, Webster’s friends, or people who already like and follow world news. The people that already follow world news are probably bored by the section because they already know about the news we’re reporting. You see, Webster has a difficult dilemma, because the stories we send to the printer on Tuesday night will probably be slightly outdated by our release date on Thursday.

I will admit that I don’t know nearly as much about the world as I should. I set the homepage of my computer to nytimes.com, but I still don’t take the time to read as much as I should before switching to Gmail or Facebook. I would wonder how many people are in the same position as I am, rely on Webster’s section to catch up on their world news, or pass it by all together.

According to Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 13 percent of people age 18-25 rely on “The Daily Show” as a key source for information about the world. I guess that 13 percent isn’t that bad, but what happened to the other 87 percent? Pew also released statistics that 34 percent of that same age group isn’t getting any news on a daily basis.

Last Friday, in my American electronic media class, we were asked to write down the latest piece of news that we had heard. Then our professor asked us to write down a second news story. There were several kids in the class that couldn’t write down anything. I would say at least 60 percent of the class that did have a news story, wrote down Tiger Woods as their first piece of news. Most students couldn’t come up with a second story, but those who did wrote down the man who committed suicide by flying into the Internal Revenue Service building. Our professor didn’t seem to be surprised with our answers, but I was.

I’m pretty sure if we had to do the assignment in regards to only world news most of the class would have been left with blank sheets of paper. So that brings me back to my original thought. Are we justified in calling Webster the world snooze editor? Who is reading his section and does it really matter? I think it does, but I think we also all need to be more aware of what is going on.

Webster and his writers do a pretty good job of picking stories that are still relevant on Thursday, but we should all be able to call it old news when we see it. There is no reason we need to be in that 34 percent of people our age that aren’t getting any news on a daily basis. Webster can help us on Thursdays, but we need to do something about the other six days of the week.